A Precedent in Print

Widener students in a Magazine Journalism course last spring didn’t simply write stories
to hand into their professor – they developed, reported, wrote, and edited articles
that were published in the inaugural issue of Chester magazine.

Khalil Williams, a junior communication studies major who is planning on a career
in public relations and advertising, wrote two stories and took several photographs
that were published in the student-produced magazine. “I like the idea of being a
storyteller,” said Williams, a native of Chester. “I liked going into the outside
world and seeing what’s going on and being able to share that with the rest of the
public.”

Stories in the magazine include a photo essay about the city, profiles of the Chester
Children’s Chorus, the Laran Bronze Inc. foundry, a fertility doctor at the Crozer-Chester
Medical Center, Phatso’s Bakery and other Chester eateries, and a story about the
city’s plans for a cultural corridor.

The university awarded the class a $1,000 Schmutz Student Engagement Mini Grant to
produce the magazine. The grant is distributed annually to support undergraduate student-led
projects that focus on Chester and are developed in collaboration with a Chester community
partner to address the city’s needs. John F. Schmutz, Esquire, donor of the grant,
serves on Widener’s Board of Trustees and is a retired senior vice president and general
counsel for E. I. DuPont Nemours and Company.

The project earned the support of Chester Mayor John Linder, a 1976 Widener alumnus
who led the students on a tour of the city at the beginning of the spring semester.
He said Chester magazine can serve as a valuable marketing tool to attract businesses and investment
in the city. “The Widener students did an excellent job bringing to life some of outstanding
businesses, organizations, and culture that Chester has to offer,” Linder said. “We
are excited about the future of the city, and this magazine helps us tell that story.”